United Service Institution of India

This occasional paper examines the joint United States-Israel air campaigns-Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion-against Iran and analyses their strategic, operational, and doctrinal implications for contemporary warfare. The study explores the political and military objectives of the campaigns, the pursuit of air superiority through intelligence-led targeting, the role of integrated air and missile defence systems, and the increasing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in planning and execution. It assesses the effectiveness and limitations of air power, intelligence, and manned unmanned teaming, while highlighting the evolving character of conflict in an era of multi-domain operations. Drawing lessons from the successes and shortcomings of all participants, this paper identifies critical implications for India’s air defence architecture, command and control systems, intelligence integration, force protection, and theatre command structures. It argues that future military advantage will depend increasingly on networked systems, doctrinal coherence, AI-enabled decision support, and anticipatory adaptation.